Don't let scare tactics derail medical reforms

[caption id="attachment_70420" align="alignright" width="300"] Patient William Wishart, 4 months, seems to look on as Dr. Melanie Walker uses a portable computer to enter information from his exam into an electronic medical records system at the Pediatric Partners practice in North Raleigh, North Carolina, November 1, 2012. The change to electronic medical records that was mandated by Obamacare has received mixed reviews from doctors. (Chris Seward/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)[/caption]

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Maneck Bhujwala: Columnist Sally C. Pipes makes dubious claims about the impact of the Affordable Health Care Plan on doctors. Her article, “Obamacare's doctor depression” [Orange Grove, Nov. 8], seems more like a “sky-is-falling” scare tactic intended to achieve her goal of repealing health care reform that includes all Americans as it removes the worry of going bankrupt due to lifetime limits on payments by insurance companies.

Doctors have their own union in the American Medical Association that restricts the number of medical graduates and immigrant doctors through strict requirements.

While we appreciate the hard work and money involved in getting a medical degree and the life-saving work they do, some doctors enter the profession mainly to get rich quick, and many of them are even involved in Medicare fraud, kickbacks from diagnostic labs and pharmacies by ordering unnecessary tests and medicines, writing false opinions to aid family and friends and fraudulently obtaining authorization for disability payments (hurting small and large business owners). Government officials who look for fraud catch some of these crooks but many escape.

We need to re-instill the good old value of service to society as the primary goal for doctors, while they earn fair compensation for hard work. Restrictions on admission of doctors who studied abroad should be relaxed, and more diligent fraud-fighting government officials and volunteers should be employed to cut the waste and reward good doctors. We also need to reform malpractice litigation to protect good doctors. Let us make these positive changes to retain good doctors instead of stepping backward by repealing health care reform.

The king is dethroned

IRVINE, Paris Merriam: Larry Agran has finally been dethroned as king of Irvine. He lost his bid for mayor of Irvine to Steven Choi in our recent election.

After serving on either the Irvine City Council or as mayor of Irvine for 26 years, Agran has overstayed his visit. Although it's time for him to go, Irvine is still stuck with him for another two years, since he will serve this remaining time as a city council member.

The Irvine electorate needs to see what is going on. Twenty-six years? Agran still has two years left on the city council, for a total of 28 years. Irvine has only been a city for 40 years.

We need stricter term limits for Irvine council members and mayor. The Council will obviously not put this item on its agenda voluntarily. The Irvine electorate must take action and find a way to get this change on the ballot in time for the next election.

This way, we can finally put an end to this “Mafia mentality” that has perpetuated Irvine politics, and the Great Park, for far too long. It will also give others a chance in Irvine to serve their community in a positive way that brings new and fresh ideas to the table.

My financial epiphany

NEWPORT BEACH, Michael D. Moore: I have been politically conservative all of my adult life. I have always thought that our founders were wise almost beyond belief, and I still do. But I am an airline pilot and I live and work in reality. That is to say, what actually is, rather than what is right or how I'd like it to be. So, when America spoke on Tuesday and decided to follow the template of Europe, even as it crumbles before our eyes, I had an epiphany. If I am to be on the Titanic I might as well eat as much lobster and drink as much champagne as possible. The outcome really isn't in question anymore, it's just a matter of when. So why fight it? I've spent this morning perusing government programs and have signed up, so far, for 23 that will provide me with something for nothing. I'm sure there are a lot more, and I intend to find them. In fact, suggestions would be appreciated.

All of my life I have been charitable, my wife says, to a fault. I have realized that the government knows better than I what should be done with my money, so I'm through donating, the government will take care of it. This is liberating. I am not joking. To stop caring about what is right and simply worry about getting what I want – it's so easy.

Forward.

The Obama challenge

IRVINE, Phil Norton: Now the challenge, Mr. Obama: You must make good on your promise to bring America together. Not just your followers, but all Americans. You must resist the temptation to do as you please and blame “the intransigent Republicans” for all failures. You well know that even if the House should impeach you over Benghazi or “Fast and Furious” or some new scandal, that the Democratic-controlled Senate would never convict you. You must resist temptation to be a dictator and use executive orders in place of proper bills passed by Congress. You must deal effectively with the national debt, unemployment and imbalance of trade with China and the rest of the Pacific Rim.

I join Mitt Romney in praying for your success and the success of all of us in the U.S.

Daggers in school

YORBA LINDA, Doug Briney: “Sikhs are allowed to carry daggers at school” in the Jurupa Unified School District [News, Nov. 6]. What are our school officials thinking? Bringing a Bible to school offends someone, but Sikhs can carry daggers to school. I'm offended. It's time that someone stood up and said “You are living in the United States of America, and you will abide by our laws and rules.”

Are we going to have someone at the school check the daggers daily to make sure that the daggers are permanently secured in their sheath? What's next?

I think it is high time that we the people stand together and put an end to this kind of nonsense.

Abortion in our society

FULLERTON, Tom Yunghans: In the U.S., about one in four pregnancies are terminated by abortion, which adds up to a little more than 1 million each year. It has been suggested that abortions should be “safe, legal and rare.” With approximately 50 million abortions performed since “Roe,” I suggest that we have seriously missed that mark.

It's time for the media to quit using abortion comments as a political football to demonize Republicans bold enough to discuss the issue. It's time for the media to engage the public in a serious and intelligent discussion on the role of abortion in our society.

FDR's economic fix

TRABUCO CANYON, Gary McCloud: Missives published on these pages can give us glimpses into the thinking of some Obama supporters. A writer tells us this election was “as significant as ... Franklin D. Roosevelt taking office during the Great Depression.” However, many would hope not, since FDR needed World War II to fix the economy.

The edge of the cliff

CORONA DEL MAR, Dave Swan: Now that the election is past, and we have a president, in the spirit of “Give ‘em hell” Harry Truman: 1) call a special session of Congress to fix the debt, 2) consider Simpson-Bowles efforts, 3) have an “up or down vote” and 4) set a target date of Dec. 31 to get it done to avoid going over the cliff.

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